Disclosure
by Fantasy Muffins
Summary: She would look up into his smooth complexion, hoping for advice and the friendship she always so desired, and he would gaze back, longing hidden behind his mocking expression; she would never quite understand what he wanted, and he was incapable of giving in. Wherein Yona realises hidden truths, and Hak embraces them. [AU]
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** Hello everyone! Here is our first story for Fantasy Muffins! Yay! *sounds the bells, brings the cake out, dances around. What, you want muffins?...dahell*_

 _It's an Hakona fanfiction with *cough* slight intus of *cough* JeaKi...*swoons*_

 _Expect what the summary tells you: it's your not-so-typical-but-still-somewhat-classic highschool drama ;D_

 _Hence, enjoy the first chapter!_

 _Edit 28/5/2017: Yona's surname has been changed from 'Tsuki' to 'Hiryuu'._

* * *

 **Duplicity**

"I..." every stutter made it worse, every delicate glance to the ground unnerved her more and more, "I also..." Ayura and Tetora were nearby, but not too close; they waited several feet away, respectfully, but within earshot, and it annoyed Yona how they could be such dogs sometimes, "I also love Soo-Won."

There. The words were out, crumbling with the earth under the relentless sun. Lili had her eyes semi closed, gaze still lowered ungracefully as she awaited Yona's response to her confession.

Of _course_ did the young, scarlet-haired girl _not_ take the news all to well; for years now, on end, had she been madly in love with her dear, beloved Soo-Won; saviour during her worst nightmares, her foundation and strength. Lili had known this; Yona's devotion seemed endless. Hell, Yona had even openly fantasized about her romantic wedding with the prestigious inheritor of the Gulfan Company. All the secrets they had shared, all the encouragement Lili had offered; the tender pushes towards Soo-Won, in order for Yona to initiate a conversation and gain more of the boy's affection.

It appeared like a waste of time, now, in hindsight, with the tears welling up quite dramatically. It felt like betrayal; her chest ached terribly, a horrible twisting of the heart and guts as if a knife had been plunged inside from the back. Not even the hushed words of "I'm sorry, Yona", and the painful looking facial expression Lili threw her way could console her.

It was betrayal. It was utter, terrible, backstabbing, throttling treachery.

There were a million things Yona could have thrown Lili's way that moment; she could have screamed and cried, told her all the things she felt then, but not a single utterance was capable of leaving her blushing lips. Nothing came, nothing left, not a sound was made.

"I really am sorry; It's just...I can no longer keep it a secret..." Lili seemed to be fighting for words; trying to find a way to explain her feelings and justify herself, but she, too, was having problems.

Before more terms were being exchanged, Yona had already legged it. As if struck by lightning, she jolted backwards, twisting her body around so that her feet were capable of taking her away. Lili disappeared behind her back as Yona chased down the lawn and towards a destiny she did not recognize herself. As long as she was capable of placing distance between herself and her so-called 'best friend', all was good.

How could this have happened? _Why_ had it happened? She and Lili had been best friends since; may the _gods_ know when. Childhood memories flooded Yona's brain; images of herself and a petite, dark-haired girl, laughing on the veranda, cooing about a certain mister Gulfan.

Soo-Won had not been the _only_ topic they ever discussed, of course; there were countless things they liked to chatter about, as the daughters of overly rich businessmen and men of strong influence. There was a reason they visited the elite Academy of Kouka; and it was _certainly_ not because of some hard-to-get scholarship.

Girls talked about what girls liked; and next to boys, it consisted of make-up and fashion, of gossip about some escapade by a fellow student and celebrities as well as TV-series they both enjoyed watching. Yona only remembered good things; a lot of smiles and laughter. Ayura and Tetora, sisters from a slightly lesser rich, but still very highly acknowledged family, had been by Lili's side since her earliest years of existence, having turned the duo often enough into a quartet. Yona had liked them; equally had they been entrusted with her most intimate desires and wishes.

Of course, now that Yona's friendship with Lili was over (how else could it be? Now that they _both_ were chasing after the same boy; it was an unspoken girls' codex), Ayura and Tetora would stay, evidently, by their original friend. Anger bubbled inside of Yona as she reached a barrier consisting of a few trees, leading outside of the school's perimeter. She did not need any of them; she had more friends that she would be capable to count on both hands.

Her running slowed down, feet now marching with determination as the tears ceased to flow; Yona was frowning, eyes turning into angry slits as she balled her fists. The vermilion-haired girl was stomping down the southern courtyard of the school, cursing her so called _'friends'_ and deciding to hang around with her other pals.

There was only one tiny detail she had forgotten to consider: she possessed no other friends. Lili, Ayura and Tetora had been Yona's sole reality, next to Soo-Won, for over half of her life. Or maybe less than half; fact was, except for the courteous small-talk Yona engaged herself into with other coevals, she owned no other close relationships. There were a hundred faces of a hundred girls currently on the lawns of the school, all familiar yet somewhat strange. Yona could name a few if she tried; could maybe even recall whom she knew from where, but otherwise...they were not really friends; she even remembered talking ill about the one or other classmate, who had surely not forgotten.

Chewing on her lip in frustration, Yona tried to withhold a sigh; was this really her reality? Had she never befriended anyone else after she had met Lili? Did this mean...she would be alone from now on? But...only _losers_ hung out on their own during break. People who did not know how to socialize and were mostly...lower class. What would the public think of Yona once they saw her on her _own?_ She felt her cheeks redden with shame; she had to make herself unseen this instance!

With quick steps, she crossed a small part of the lawn, disappearing into a niche she knew not many went to; sometimes, she and Lili had liked to spend their time there, in summer, when the heat of the sun got too much to bear. Here she would be safe until she had gathered her thoughts.

Breathing in slowly, Yona summarised her situation: Lili had her eyes set on Soo-Won; Yona's childhood love, which was the reason they could no longer be friends. Yona would not forgive her, of course; not even if she came back to her, _begging_ for forgiveness. And she was to be removed from the guest-list of her future wedding. Such measurements had to be taken immediately.

Yona still felt her heart pound relentlessly within her ribcage; she had honestly not expected Lili to confess such a truth to her when the girl had asked Yona for a word shortly before the recess bell rang. It was too shocking to swallow at first; she felt dizzy, a little disorientated even. Was this _real?_ Maybe Yona was stuck within a parallel universe, and in reality, she and Lili were still best friends, and Lili did _not_ claim to 'love' Soo-Won – did she even _know_ what true love was?

Because Yona sure did.

Instantly, her memories took her back to a summer not many years ago; it had been warm, yet not too hot, so Yona had been able to wear one of her favorite dresses. A white one, frilled at bottom and top, enhancing her youthful, promising body. She always took good care of her appearance, but whenever she met with Soo-Won, she put in extra effort, brushing her red curls a bit longer, styling her outfit a tad more adult-like. She had looked stunning – she knew, the way boys looked after her, from the envious looks in other girls' eyes, and she bathed in the victorious feeling of supremacy it gave her.

And once she had arrived at their meeting place, Soo-Won, her dear, wonderful Soo-Won, had told her how beautiful she was. Not pretty, cute or sweet – _beautiful._ The mere memory of it made Yona blush happily, and even a smile formed on her lips, previously twisted in anger.

 _I am sure he never called Lili 'beautiful',_ she told herself. She almost laughed at the notion - it was a thought too absurd to be even considered. Determined, Yona shook her head, the feeling of resolve strengthening in her chest. _Soo-Won and I are destined to be together. I have known him longer than Lili does, have always been by his side and know all about him – what right does Lili even imagine to have, claiming that she 'loves' him? How could she, without knowing him the way I do? Without having felt his affection, his attention? How would Lili know anything about true love?_

She did not. It was an answer as simple as that, rising from the depths of her mind, truth vibrating in every word. Yona felt reassurance resonating within her, and she lifted her chin up a bit without even realizing. Her right to Soo-Won, her true love, had not been shaken by her formerly 'best-friend's' claim. If anything, it had only been reinforced.

 _She may think she loves him, but she does not,_ Yona thought once again. She pressed herself away from the wall she had rested against, twisting her pretty head to inspect her uniform. _All good._ The thought did not only apply to her outfit, but to her state of mind as well. Now that she _knew_ Lili did not, could not truly love Soo-Won, the sting of betrayal did not hurt as much.

 _I must see the good in this,_ Yona told herself. _With her silly 'confession', Lili has lost a friend – but I have gained the insight to her true nature. With an attitude, a personality like that, Lili will not even come close to gaining Soo-Won's attention, let alone love._

Before the repetitive thoughts could gain the notion of persuasion, Yona pushed the matter aside. It was over and done with, as much as her friendship with Lili. A fresh new start, was what she called it herself. _And why not?_ Yona asked herself as she formed a smile with her shining lips, tinted by a decent lip gloss. _I can make new friends. It will be better than with Lili, Ayura and Tetora – much better! I will make friends who stick true to me, who do not trample over my feelings and dreams, but support me._

With her mind thus cleared and her shoulders straightened, Yona stepped away from the niche. Quickly, she wiped over her light purple eyes to hide any last traces of the shameful tears she had shed. Her face felt barely swollen anymore, so she was ready to be seen again. She had to socialize, now, before anyone would notice she had actually spent some of her break time _alone_.

At midday, the southern courtyard was almost swarming with students. Seniors and juniors alike enjoyed the calm, elegant atmosphere granted by groves of lush green trees, the crowns spending shade for the benches beneath them. The greens were well-kept and orderly aligned, paths created efficiently, yet seamlessly from one oasis to the next. The air felt light and warm, and the chattering in the background was pleasant, even laughs were conducted in an orderly manner. Kouka Academy _was_ a prestigious school, after all.

Yona closed her eyes for but a moment to take the calm in, reassuring the final currents of anger within her heart. _What a fine day,_ she mused to herself. A scent of rose from nearby bushes swept her way, and her lips curled upwards a bit more. Refreshed and determined, she opened her eyes again, searching for the nearest group of students to chat with.

And there, only several feet away, was a fitting group. Three girls, in the same year as Yona, as judged by the colors of their ribbons, engaged in light conversation. They had pretty faces, though none matched the beauty Yona or Lili could claim to possess, but Yona cared little for such a fact right now. With sure, yet delicate steps, she walked over to them, opening her mouth at the first indication of speech-pause.

"Good day -" the words suddenly stuck in her throat. Yona almost bit her lip in anger when the girls' names, at least one of them, disappeared in the depths of her mind, leaving her mouth to hang open like an idiot. Aware of the curious, expectant looks, she finished after an awkward pause, "to you."

Her meek greeting was awarded with silence. The two blondes looked at her uncomfortably, shooting glances to the brunette in the center, who wore just as much of a puzzled expression. But manners were held high at Kouka Academy, so the apparent leader of the group worked up a false smile. "Good day to you, too. Is there something we could help you with?"

"And who would you be?" the blonde to her left, wearing a high ponytail, interjected with a smile as fake as her leader's.

The first question had already been bad – as if she was going to them for _help_. But if the first one had been a step on her foot, the second one was a slap in her face. _They do not.. know me?_

It was beyond ridiculous – Yona was exceptional, both inside and out. Lili and her friends had always reassured her of that fact. _But what if,_ Yona slowly thought, _their words were lies back then already?_

She stood frozen in shock, but despite the silence this caused, the trio in front of her maintained friendly faces. Suddenly, the other blonde's lit up. She lightly tapped her left palm with the side of her right fist as if she remembered something. "Hey, aren't you one of Lili-sama's friends?"

This was too much. Yona felt her face pale instantly, except for the heat burning on her cheeks. It didn't help the situation when the other two nodded in sudden agreement. And despite them now recognizing her, there was a certain distance the three girls seemed to take upon this news. Unknowingly, Yona took half a step back. _Lili's friend?_ That _is what I'm known for?_ The shame hurt almost more than the betrayal not an hour ago, and it took all of Yona's strength to hide her emotions behind a courteous mask.

"Ah, forgive me," she spoke with a voice a bit too cold, "I must have confused you with someone else. Pray excuse me." She ignored the three perplexed faces and turned on her heel, walking a casual pace towards the open corridors framed by arches. Nothing gave away the embarrassment she felt.

But her eyebrows were drawn together a bit too harshly for a carefree student, and there was a hint of fire in her eyes. Acquiring new friends would prove more difficult than she had expected.

* * *

She twirled the pencil in a bored manner between her fingers, eyes half shut, her gaze focusing on nothing in particular. Somewhere in the background, the teacher was asking questions concerning the mathematical problem they were to concentrate on that lesson, but as always, whenever numbers came into play, Yona preferred to tune out. And with the most recent events of that day, it was not hard to lose focus and return to the sentiments of loneliness and abandonment.

But as she had decided, with overwhelming determination, beforehand, she would make the best and most out of this cumbersome situation.

"So, if 'x' takes the value of 56, what will 'y' to the three most likely be within this equation?"

Suddenly, the red-head remembered a few girls she had met during one of the latest galas her father had organised; they had talked. There had been a progress in their relationship; a somewhat faint friendliness, not entirely bound to etiquette, that promised a more intimate bond if it were to be honed. She remembered them talking about transferring to Kouka in the winter. Now that had been a few months ago...if only she were capable of recalling their names and faces...

"Does no one know the answer?" She ignored the frustrated sigh of the teacher as he looked around, begging with his eyes for salvation, "Am I the only one who reads this book?"

Maybe she would find them tomorrow, during break, somewhere within the building, or around the gardens; maybe suddenly one of their faces seems familiar, then she would not have to struggle so much with _remembering_ them.

"Sir, _this_ guy's got a good-looking answer." Some boy in the back row commented not too enthusiastically, causing most of the kids within the room, except for Yona, to turn around on their seats and stare at the person.

Only curtly did Yona allow her eyes to wander, her mind to drift, as she took a minuscule glance at some blue-haired boy with glasses, frantically attempting to hide his obviously correct answer, for the teacher later on confirmed it. Everyone was whispering, the teacher annoyed about the unnecessary commotion despite his elation about having at least _one_ student who apparently cared about his future.

 _'It's just some nerd; who cares?'_ Yona thought with annoyance, for the chattering was hindering her from sorting out her thoughts and working on plans in order to keep her reputation up and going...

...But as what? What reputation did she even own? After the small stunt earlier on; with something aching to rejection from even the nicest kids she could find in school...was anyone actually willing to befriend her – no, she was not allowed to think in such a manner. It would only further pull her down and demotivate her, convincing her of lies; of _course_ was she popular, those girls from before simply would not know how to deal with it. She would be just fine by tomorrow, she knew; a good night's sleep, a nice breakfast, some further collected thoughts, and everything would work out for sure.

* * *

The next day bought sunshine, which surprised no one, for the weather forecast had predicted it. When the bell rang to indicate recess-time, Yona trudged across the corridor, a smile plastered across her lips whilst her eyes wandered towards the windows, from where she saw the magnificent scenery Kouka Academy always had to offer. Walking casually past a classroom, she heard laughter and giggles, which kind of sounded promising to her, so she halted and retraced her tracks, soon being flooded by the light from the open room.

Inside were indeed a few girls, chuckling about as a boy stood upon one of the tables, his shirt hanging half-out of his trousers, a grin two miles wide spread across his face. He had several bean bags within his hands, juggling with talent as he began to walk across the tables, jumping from one top to the next. The present females were evidently highly amused, cheering silently for the boy to continue.

Yona saw him wobble on his feet, the strain hanging upon his brow as he tried not to glance at his shoes out of fear he might let those bags fall. Was he attempting to impress the girls? Did he want to date one of them? She would like to know the feeling; of a guy other than her Soo-Won attempting to win her heart, just to remind her that she _was_ quite desired; but what was she _thinking_? Only Soo-Won's attention counted, any other guy's would always be ignored. Considering this, she most likely had boys flirting with her on a daily basis without her realising; it would not surprise her, honestly.

For a moment, Yona considered walking up to the girls, laughing along, asking what was up and thus initiating small-talk, yet right then, the blonde-haired juggler jolted off the table he had nearly fallen from, all bags secured within his hands as he threw a smile at the girls, waving before he left the room. The females were still blushing and chatting among themselves whilst he threw a soft smile in Yona's direction before darting off past her.

She could only wonder about his sudden disappearance; yet as speedily as the questioning thoughts came, she discarded them, for they seemed too unimportant as to be given more consideration. Those girls were still in the room, and she could try initiating a conversation still...she would look casual nonetheless. Maybe they would even feel blessed by her presence.

Having a sudden tickle arise within her belly, Yona walked in, still smiling and seeming to be in high spirits when the countenances of the girls transformed drastically. Before Yona could even open her mouth to utter the first word, one of her classmates interjected, "Whatcha want?"

"Not so impolite." A second girl commented, smiling apologetically at Yona.

Yona returned the gesture, suddenly feeling nervous, which unnerved her. Why should she feel nervous? Everything was okay, this was easy, nothing to worry about.

"Funny guy, right?" The purple-eyed teenager began, her smile twitching as she felt the edges of her lips sting with pain; forcing happiness was never an easy task.

"Yeah...he always acts all funny and weird." Another girl commented, shrugging, before she walked past Yona quite hastily, "Hey, let's go to the fountain and cool down a little there." With rushed steps, she had left, her friends following without a single complaint.

Yona could have just followed; could have just asked which fountain they were going to, for there were several situated around the terrain, yet she felt her brain freeze and her body deny any action. They had disappeared so speedily, it would have been impossible to follow; and considering that Yona's shoes were quite new...it would not be worth the effort.

Sighing silently to herself, she turned and equally left the room, heading in the opposite direction of her classmates and simply letting the corridor guide her to her next destination. She felt all motivation seep out of her limbs at a frighteningly fast pace; making new friends was a lot harder than she would have believed. But why? Why did no one revel in her companionship? Were they not supposed to be like that? But what if all her glory had just been a fake imagination she had tried to convince herself of all these years?

The thought made her all the more glum. Yona sighed some more, twisting on her feet to turn another corner when she felt lightning strike into her body, every single muscle within her it paralysed.

There, not too many feet away, stood Lili; without her two _guardian_ _dogs,_ blushing madly at the ground whilst a rather nervous-looking Soo-Won stood opposite of her, scratching the nape of his neck.

"Well...what do you say?"

Yona knew she ought to run; hurry away before either of them saw her, all on her own. She already turned on her heel when she stopped, angered at her own silliness. _Why am I worrying about this? This is_ Soo-Won _, not some stranger who does not know what fine company I am._ She almost laughed at herself, turning back to the two people she had known for years. _If anyone, it should be Lili to feel uncomfortable in my presence. She already seems nervous._

A sudden thought inspired a smile on Yona's lips. _I should show her right here and now whom Soo-Won truly belongs to._ Yona made a step forward, a greeting sitting on her lips already, when Soo-Won suddenly spoke again, causing her to freeze.

"Only if Saturday is fine for you, though." The smile on his handsome face twitched lightly. Was it disgust? Did he even have to force a smile in Lili's presence? The notion satisfied Yona.

But wait, what were they _talking_ about?

Lili's blush deepened even further. She stuck a strand of her sleek, dark hair behind her red ears, looking stupidly at the ground and back up. "Y-yes, Saturday is fine, Soo-Won." A smile appeared on her face as she created eye-contact with the young man.

"That's wonderful!" Soo-Won's face lit up with the smile Yona loved so much – too bad it was not directed at her. Yona felt the ground beneath her disappearing as she slowly realized the course of events this conversation was taking. "Then I will pick you up by your house at eight. The dance party is close to my home, so leave everything to me. I'll make sure you'll enjoy yourself. Oh, and I will see you safely home at night, of course."

"Thank you, Soo-Won," Lili replied with a smile. Another blush crept up her face, and she looked down with a fluttering of her eyelashes. "And thank you for... for asking me out. I am looking forward to it."

Yona's body shivered in cold, yet her stomach felt inflamed. She barely noticed Soo-Won replying, "N-no need to thank me," with a blush forming on his precious face. Yona's knees gave in beneath her, but she caught herself before her expensive uniform could be dirtied.

The sudden movement caused both Lili and Soo-Won to turn their heads in her direction, and Yona had a sting in her stomach when she read their eyes: Lili's dark blue ones full of guilt, Soo-Won's brown ones filled with surprise.

"Yona." Lili's voice was but a whisper, yet it hit Yona like a train, making the red-head stumble back. Immediately, her former best friend shied back as well, taking a step behind Soo-Won.

And her dear, wonderful Soo-Won did nothing but eye her, surprised – uncomprehending even. He erected a smile, though not as genuine and lovely as the one he just granted Lili, raising his hand as a greeting. "Hello, Yona. How are you?"

Yona stared at him, her eyes burning with threatening tears. Her throat felt closed as her mind tried to understand what was going on. Repeatedly, her gaze shifted between the two in front of her, and nothing could make the words she just witnessed unheard.

 _They have a date._

A startled sound broke from Yona's lips, and Soo-Won made a step forward, hand stretched out towards her, but the red-head turned away before he could recognize the look on her face. "I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry, Soo-Won." She fled, not wasting even a single word towards the traitor hiding behind her love.

Her feet carried her through corridors and past classrooms, in a hurry she would not have allowed herself to take earlier. But with her mind clouded in pain and disbelief, Yona cared little for her new shoes. As she ran past a corner, she almost collided with a white-haired youth, giving him but a hasty apology without even looking. Rushing up the stairs to the gods knew where, Yona felt her stomach burn, and the tears in her eyes finally spilled over.

 _Betrayal._ The feeling she had more or less managed to suppress up until now came back to hurt her in full force. And not only had Lili dared to make inappropriate advances towards Soo-Won – _how else_ would she have been able to gain his attention? - Yona's love had invited the traitor on a date.

A _date._ A true, real date. While she could not bear truly thinking about it, Yona _knew_ she had not had a date with Soo-Won; at least not something they both officially _called_ a date.

 _But did we even have to?_ Yona asked herself as she went through another corridor, slower than before. _Wasn't it obvious what we were doing? What we were?_ At least her so-called friends had always assured that there was no question of her and Soo-Won being a couple, sooner or later. Whenever he had met up with Yona, Soo-Won had seemed happy and appreciative of her, showing gallantry towards the girl at any occasion.

But if it had been that obvious what they were _supposed_ to be, why had Soo-Won asked Lili out on a date? And why had he looked at her with such a surprised expression? He should have _known_ his actions were wrong, that he was betraying Yona.

Unless of course...

"Watch were you're going!"

The words reached Yona a second too late, and before she managed to lift her eyes up, she bumped into a student before her. The pile of papers he was carrying swayed dangerously, but the young man managed to regain his balance just in time. Bright blue eyes closed as a sigh left his lips, only for them to shoot back open to send Yona an accusing glare.

"I just told you to watch where you're going. Jeez, _that_ is why I dislike rich, spoiled children."

"I-I'm sorry." Yona managed to stutter, trying her best to _not_ give away her feelings despite the crack in her voice. She could only hope the youngster in front of her was not too perceptive; but most people were not, anyway.

Yet apparently, she would be out of luck on this day, "What's up with you? You seen a ghost?" He quirked an eyebrow, moving slightly to the side so that he was capable of better facing her.

"N-No! I don't believe in those kind of things." She declared, despite this being a lie; Yona was absolutely convinced of the existence of other-worldly beings that invisibly made their way around this realm, "You're quite...young." She blurted out after closer inspecting the round features of his face; he definitely appeared quite childish.

"Well what did you expect? Someone old?" The boy was evidently in a not too humorous mood, seeming even impatient as he conversed with Yona, "What's with you spoiled kids? Always got something to complain."

A faint blush dusted her cheeks as she lowered her gaze, trying to maintain her dignity, "Why do you keep saying that?"

"Saying what?"

"'Spoiled'."

Upon the question, her opposite entered into a room which had stood wide open to their left, placing the stack of papers on top of the desk. Once he had the obstacle removed, he turned back to Yona, calling from inside the room, "Because that's what you are; the daughter of a rich man who believes she is allowed to do whatever pleases her."

Feeling hurt by his words; for how else could it be? He was insulting her quite openly, the red-head closed in on the boy, "N-No I don't, but I _do_ know that I have privileges, which isn't being spoiled; besides, aren't _you_ also a 'spoiled child'?" Hands on her hips, she began to feel like a scolding elder.

He crossed his arms, once more raising a critical eyebrow at her, " _No_. I'm _not_ that 'privileged'." with his fingers, he imitated quotation marks, thus mocking her previous statement without the hint of respect interlaced into his voice, "I come from a poorer family; I know what _real_ life is like."

She blinked once. Then twice; suddenly, she blinked several times, in silence, without quite understanding what the male in front of her was implying. Viewing her stupefied expression, he sighed lengthily before raising his voice once more, "I am the son of Ik Soo; not some rich skunk that gets everything he wants without a single complaint. I _work_ for everything I want."

"What has that got to do with anything?" She was losing patience, not understanding _what_ exactly the boy wanted from _her_.

"You are Yona Hiryuu, am I right?" He stated very plainly.

She blushed, "Yes, and?"

"You usually hang around with Lili An and her friends, am I right?"

Upon the mentioning of her former friend, Yona scowled quite unpleasantly, "Yes...and?"

"Did you two argue? You seem to be avoiding each other." He did not appear to be concerned; merely asked with annoyance and, seemingly, to prove a point.

"It's nothing..." Yona whispered, looking away.

"And now you don't have any friends, because no one likes you, which surprises you, right?" Before she could counter-argue and have a go at him, for her face was boiling with rage, he continued his monotonous speech, " _That's_ what I mean; you think you can just get what you need, anytime you need it. Well, that's not how life works. You get what you give."

"Are you implying that I _deserve_ to be lonely?" She was on the verge of tears; it was getting increasingly harder to suppress her feelings, but she did not want to appear weak in front of him; she did not want to cry in front of a stranger; a terribly offensive one at that, but she could barely help herself.

Listening to the hurt within her voice, the boy must have felt sudden guilt arise, for his rather strict expression softened ever so slightly as his rigid posture loosened somewhat, "No...that's not what I meant." For what appeared to be the _nth_ time that moment, he sighed, "Look; friends don't grow on trees, and when you're mean to others, they'll remember. You should start looking at things differently."

His words made little to no sense to her; he was uttering a whole load of gibberish that seemed absolutely pointless – she had friends, enough friends to last her a lifetime. She would not be lonely; and her argument with Lili was none of his business. She found it rude that he decided to stalk her; how else would he know about her situation?

"And before you ask; _everyone_ here knows about you and Lili not getting along anymore. When suddenly two people don't hang around with each other anymore, people are bound to wonder."

This startled her; could he read _minds_? How would he have known what she was thinking? This started to scare her, which was the reason Yona gradually spun on her heel, deciding to simply leave the room, wordless, and never face the kid again that seemed to find joy in ruining peoples' mood.

Yet just as she was heading towards the door, Yona decided that some words of anger would be adequate; well, maybe it was rather her foul mood that demanded of her to _vent_ a little so that she could dispel some of the stress she felt; at least she would not cry then, "Who are _you_ to judge other people, anyway? Before complaining about _me_ and my friendships, look at _yourself_."

She felt pride when his facial expression twisted to one of utter shock; he must have not expected such a comeback. Yona knew that, if she were not fast enough, he would most likely retort something back that would rather affect her, so she decided to seize the moment and leave, yet her feet felt heavy and resisted her desired action; her entire body was shaking, actually.

Before she had realised her own situation, the boy was holding out a tissue, looking past her as if he were embarrassed, or angry; probably both, "Yun." was his solemn comment.

"H-Huh?"

"You asked who I was; I'm Yun. Yun Soo." He appeared utterly annoyed.

Yona shook her head in confusion, "W-Why..."

"The tissue? Because you're crying."

Yona looked down, fazed. She hadn't even noticed the tears falling from her eyes, but as she saw the simple white cloth, folded several times, she felt the burning path the salty tears traced down her cheeks. Confused, she looked back up at Yun, who still had his gaze caught on the doorframe. "Take it." It sounded like an order, but Yun seemed to realize this himself, so he added what could be interpreted as a half-smile. "Come on."

Her body still shook, and for a moment, she was unsure what to do. Accepting a tissue from someone who had just insulted her did not seem right, but just refusing it somehow appeared wrong as well. The longer she looked at the offered item, the more uncomfortable she felt. Slowly, Yona reached out for the tissue. It felt rough against her fingertips, but she still lifted it up towards her face, patting away the witnesses of her pain. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, both in sadness and embarrassment – she had started to cry before him after all.

The sigh that reached her ears made Yona purse her lips. "And there you sigh again." She had meant to make it sound like an insult, but her voice broke, and another couple of tears fell down.

Yun shot her a glare. Something was evidently sitting on the tip of his tongue, something surely unpleasant, but he thought better and just shook his head. Still avoiding her eyes, he scratched the nape of his neck. "Sorry. I guess I overdid it, considering we do not even know each other."

"Yes, you did," Yona agreed with a nod, but after the look Yun shot her, she was quick to close her mouth again. She looked down on the tissue in her hands, now wet by her tears. Squeezing it, Yona pondered over what to do, but Yun released her from her uncertainty as he turned away.

"Anyway, it's not like it is my business what you do." He looked through the stack of paper, sorting some this way and that. "I can just tell you that if you keep treating others like that, you won't get the friends you want."

Yona had to bite her lip to keep herself from growling. "Do you always lecture people that much?"

The boy made a sound similar to a laugh. "It's what you do as a handsome young genius."

That was a statement she was unsure how to respond to. _He calls me 'spoiled' and yet says things like that._ It unnerved her, at the least, Yona realized as she inspected Yun a little more closely. Sure, he was good-looking, with strawberry blonde hair and large, blue eyes, but calling himself 'handsome' still struck her as... bold. Honest, true even, yet bold.

Suddenly, Yun looked back, his eyebrows furrowed. "Is there something you need?"

Yona averted her eyes, feeling strangely angered by a simple question as that. She was about to turn away, but something kept lingering on her mind. With a rather quiet voice, she asked, "What did you mean... by 'treating others like that'?"

Yun, who had just been setting his eyes back on his work, shot her a skeptical glance. But as Yona withstood him, albeit shyly, he turned around, a hand on his hips. "You don't even realize what kind of impression you made on people so far? It shouldn't be that surprising, though. Just think about it like this: For as long as you have been on this school – and, I presume, in all previous ones, as well – the only persons you interacted with were Lili An and her two friends. Tetora and Ayura... Shisen?" It wasn't a question directed at Yona, more a recapitulation of his own knowledge. Yun looked up in thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Whatever. Since you come from similar backgrounds and shared similar interests, you never considered it important to interact with others. Instead, you lived in your own little world, and even went so far as to talk bad about others. Don't argue with me," he said as Yona opened her mouth to object, "everyone knows. And since they know you gossiped about them, of course they don't want to deal with you. No one likes being the stopgap."

Yona winced; his words hurt, even more so because she felt, after the recent events, that there might be truth in them. Yun's expression softened a bit, and he looked out of the window, thoughtfully. "So my point is: People have an image of you, most likely a lot different from the one you have from yourself. If you want them – anyone – to like you, you'll have to show them that you are different than they think. That you are someone worth befriending."

Her belly curled in heat and Yona's head snapped up. She stared at Yun, hurt and confusion plain on her face. There was a moment of silence, harsh and heavy, weighing both of them down. She was painfully aware of the truth in Yun's words, but it wasn't an easy truth to swallow, much less if she truly was the way he said – friendless.

Suddenly, the boy walked up to her, and Yona instinctively stepped back, until she was out of the classroom. Giving her a difficult-to-read expression, Yun said, "And now, I have to work. You'll have to fix your problems yourself."

Startled, Yona could only watch as he took the door and slid it to a close. Just before it hid his face, Yun looked back at Yona, and said with a very calm voice, "Oh – and you haven't thanked me for the tissue."

* * *

 _**A/N:** Huhu, here goes nothing. Now, Yona faces loneliness, but how is this gonna work out? And where the hell is our smexy Hak-boy? To find out, you'll have to read the next chapter, and yeah, reviews would be awesome guys! Trust us, they totally motivate! So yes, if you enjoyed this chapter, leave behind a word or two just to show us you are there with us! Thanks! :P _

_Until the next bite! *please don't eat us...it's just a saying*_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hands of Warmth**

Was she really that inconsiderate? Did she honestly always take everything for granted? Was the boy – what had been his name? Yon. Yan? Been right about his assumptions considering her personality? All of a sudden, Yona felt guilt she had not known to exist within her; what was she feeling guilty for? Where was the point in feeling like this, when it was unfounded?

Or maybe it _was_ founded; Yona simply denied acceptance of it. She did not _want_ to know about a reputation as an evil bully that gossiped all the time; that no one really liked, except for her so-called former friends, who might have just ditched her for that reason; or no, because one of them decided to crush on the same boy she pinned for...

Had that been an excuse? Yet the other day, Soo-Won had asked Lili out...and she had accepted...it could not have been some sort of coincidence. But how did that help her in understanding her guilt? What Yeyn had said – or was it Yano? Was just some terrible, insulting piece of -

No. She could not think like that. It was mean; she had to admit that to herself. He was somehow, in his own, rather anti-social way, only trying to help. She had to start and appreciate it; for out of all the people around her, he had been the first to somewhat enlighten her. Everyone knew about her situation...but no one seemed to look or talk rather obviously about her. Was this a sign that people knew to be discrete? Or were they just not interested?

"Hence, when measuring pressure, what unit do we do this in?" The teacher's words were lost on her ears; she had her eyes directed towards the window, gazing lackadaisically at the meadow that outstretched to the east.

Silence followed the teacher's inquiry, but this surprised no one. Yona's orbs began to close a little more; to only let minimal rays of sunlight shine into them as she attempted to identify her flaws. Did she have flaws? She guessed everyone possessed some; it was only natural.

"It begins with 'P', everyone..."

But what bad habits did she own? She needed to open up more; to look around more and stop living like there was only a tunnel to walk through; where there existed neither right nor left, but only what was ahead.

"It's a common name for boys and men in some countries...which is pitiable, I guess."

Yona suddenly found new determination seep into her system; she could do this, she could be kind. She would not gossip about others anymore, and ignore the people around her; she was not _naturally_ wicked. She actually behaved quite differently when she was by herself, at home...

"Oh come _on,_ you cannot tell me _no one_ except Shin-Ah-san knows the-"

"Pascal." An unknown voice interrupted from the left of the teacher, crawling in quite smoothly through the door that had been slid open without a warning knock.

Someone entered; someone Yona could not be bothered to care for at that moment, and introduced, quite leisurely, the answer to the rest of the class.

"You measure pressure in pascal, and it is defined as a newton per square meter."

The teacher blinked a few times, silent as the wind, with the entire classroom having their attention peeked as a row of girls suddenly sat straighter than before, and more boys than one could count began to either frown, or gush together with the girls. The visitor was evidently seen with welcoming eyes; but to Yona, he stayed a concealed mystery as she contemplated what she could do to _improve_ herself. She had to change something this break.

"And who would you be?" the teacher inquired with a raised eyebrow, still somewhat flabbergasted.

"My name is-"

The bell rang, initiating recess, with most of the boys jumping to their feet to rush out of the room, whilst some stupefied females sat in their places, seemingly frozen. For Yona, this meant simply walking out of the room, her bag in hand, stepping along the familiar, memorized path to her locker without even realising what the world around her had to present.

* * *

She did not want to go out there. The red-head would not know where to go; she feared the looks her classmates would possibly send her; was frightened of running across Lili, or maybe Soo-Won, by whom she felt so utterly betrayed that it hurt to look at him. She could simply not face the world like this, with tears looming around every corner like a dangerous disease. Yona had to hide.

But where could she go? There was nothing around that did not contain a dozen of staring students that might just know her by face and possibly name. She walked along a corridor, taking slow steps towards the staircase, seeing a poster celebrating the exotic flowers that were to sprout at Kouka Academy's spring festival; suddenly she remembered. The botanic garden; which was half maze-like, appeared as a beautiful place of blooming blossoms and intoxicating scents that eased one's mind. However, it was infrequently visited by students, except for the sake of secretive meetings. You could not so easily find someone in there; nor would you expect anyone to wander around its perimeter often. She could traverse there; stay a while on one of the benches, enjoy the upcoming spring's bloom and forget a little about the eyes that seemingly were all focused on her.

It would give her a chance to reconsider her situation and simply calm down a little. Thinking was starting to hurt; which made her feel stupid, and she knew she was not _that_ dense; right? Right.

Gradually, she trudged along the southern archway, heading towards one of it's entrances (it possessed four in total; one in each cardinal direction), soon finding a long arch covered in vines and roses, budding sweetly and with nonchalance. Yona made her way inside; astounded at the beauty that suddenly surrounded her. Why had she never taken her time earlier to enjoy this flora? How come the garden had never attracted her; what with the endless beds covered in primulas, pansys and tulips, with bushes of roses lining the sides, apple trees and pair trees and exotic, orange and purple plants sprouting wildly. Yet still it appeared somewhat artful, there from the corners, making the pathway consisting of jagged stone tiles that varied in size and shape seem like the entrance to a lost garden; or to wonderland. Alice was probably somewhere in here, Yona thought with a laugh.

Vines gnarled their way around trunks, the bark of another plant glowed a radiant white and brown. The air was filled with too many fragrances that tickled Yona's nose and pleased her senses; she could not tell them apart. As if the entire array of smells had decided to mingle and create a new odour that was meant to simply erase all her worries and make her feel a lot more relaxed.

There was so much artistry in everything she could see; birds chirping in the tree-tops, oblivious to the troubles outside, and an entire bed of crocuses which – a scream. High-pitched and desperate, coming from her right, quite dramatically, caused Yona to jolt and blink in shock, her heart pounding immediately as she looked in the direction of its source.

She did not think about what she was supposed to do; right at that moment, with the fascination of the garden still lingering within her mind, she simply raced towards the scream, hoping to soon discover whoever seemed to be in need of help; and just as she turned around the edge, spinning on her heel, a wicked-looking bench lined with honeysuckle to her right covered in gardening equipment, she was met with a curious sight.

A boy, his hair a silken white, like quicksilver, maybe even lighter, stood, hysterically waving his arms about, a small spade in one hand whilst he turned and twisted and screamed at the top of his lungs in a fashion Yona only knew girls to be capable of, was crying out loudly, "A bug! A bug! Oh dear lord, a _bug_!"

Yona's eye twitched. A bug? What kind of bug? She slowly stepped towards him, scared of startling the boy, deciding she should just speak up before he would jump at her sight, "Let me help you." With a flick of her fingers, whatever had been hugging his biceps like there was no tomorrow suddenly flew away, landing somewhere within a bush of carnations.

"It's gone." She announced, hoping the boy would stop his frantic shaking. Yona could only sigh with relief when, indeed, he did halt, and turned towards her.

"Thank you very much, young lady."

The sight of him struck her.

At least five inches taller than her, his face seemed to glow as Yona looked up. Fair skin, even fairer than hers, was the base for a tender face and big, blue eyes, smiling at her pleasantly. His silver hair with bangs falling into the orbs of ocean hue shone softly in the light of the sun, almost sparkling magically. His entire stature was, beyond a doubt, male; tall, lean, flat-chested and the chin sharper than a girl's. And yet, there was as much gentleness to his appearance than to Yona's. The soft line of his jaw, the round pools of blue, the gentle lips now curved in a smile. Even the inclination of his head towards her was so genial that Yona found herself staring in awe.

Her opposite noticed her dumbfoundness. With the silvery eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly, he asked, "Are you alright, young lady? Is something the matter?" Suddenly, his face darkened and he looked about. "Could it be that one of those undignified creatures is crawling on you?" The mere thought alone made a green tint appear over his face, disgust and horror plain to see.

Despite herself, Yona chuckled. As the young man – for he was surely that and not just a boy – turned to her questioningly, she waved with her hands, the giggles still in her throat. "Ah, I'm sorry. Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

He visibly relaxed, a sigh escaping his lips. "I am glad to hear it." Turning back to the rose bush he had been tending to, he added, "It is painful enough to see such disgusting beings defiling the beauty of these gardens; had they disgraced you in your refinement, I would not have known how to react."

A blush crept up Yona's cheeks as the gentlemen spoke the flattering words so casually. When he turned back to her, Yona quickly averted her gaze so he couldn't notice her bashfulness. Immediately, her eyes were caught by the extraordinary beauty around her again. Just now, the light of the sun was falling marvelously through the treetops, it cast shadows and light waltzing on the ground like two dancers in loving embrace. "This is so beautiful," she whispered, blushing even more when the young man leaned in a bit closer.

He followed her gaze, and an even softer smile spread on his lips. "Ah, yes. In this season, light and shadow hold the most alluring of plays beneath the trees. Sometimes, I find myself forgetting all about my work just to watch their dance."

Yona's head snapped up. "Just like I thought!" When the blue eyes in front of her blinked in confusion, she cleared her throat, embarrassed. "I mean... I just thought the same thing." Her eyes went back to the flecks of shadow and light on the stone tiles. "They move so elegantly, as if it's choreographed. And when light changes for shadow, the color of the tiles alters, like the spotlight on stage."

The student next to her hummed in consent, and Yona felt a bit more confident. Looking back up, she gave him a smile and asked, "You said you forget your work around here – are you responsible for these beautiful gardens?"

Now, the young man laughed. Waving with his delicate hands, clad in tight work gloves, he answered, "I am afraid I have to disappoint you, young lady. I cannot possibly claim such an honor for myself. I am merely a member of the gardening committee, and it is thanks to our joint efforts that the gardens of Kouka Academy look the way they do. But if you consider them pleasing on the eye, I cannot help but feel flattered." He bowed towards her, and Yona, another blush tinting her cheeks, quickly followed his example. It had been so long she had performed a proper bow in front of someone her age; usually, this was a gesture reserved for her father's colleagues or equally high-born people.

"May I introduce myself," the male student proposed as he lifted himself up. "My name is Kija Haku; I am a third-year, member of the gardening committee as I mentioned before, and forever in your debt for rescuing me."

The mention made Yona chuckle again, but she did her best to suppress it; she didn't want to offend the first person to be so nice to her since... since the gods knew when. "I am pleased to meet you. I am Yona Hiryuu."

Kija nodded, still pleasantly as ever. "I am aware of that, my lady."

Immediately, Yona's confidence threatened to vanish. _He knows who I am? Does that... does that mean he also knows about the incident between Lili and me? About my... reputation?_ Her stomach curled up in nervous anticipation. _Will he insult me, like Ya.. Yu... Yom, or what his name was?_

Oblivious to her thoughts, Kija went on with a smile, "After all, magnificent hair the color of the dawn is a rarity one is not quick to forget. We never had the pleasure of talking before, but it seems we were brought together by fate. My savior," he added with an inclination of his head, this time rather humorously.

Despite the ball of worry inside of her, Yona could not help but smile. "Oh, it was nothing. I was just worried when I heard your... call." She almost bit her tongue, 'scream' at its tip. But if Kija had noticed her hesitation, he did not show it.

"And you rushed to my rescue upon hearing it," Kija finished, a look of gratefulness on his face. His features distorted a little when he eyed the bushes the unmentionable creature had flown into. "It is a pitiful shame this wondrous place is dirtied by _their_ presence." Suddenly, his face lit up. "Oh, yes. Yona-sama."

The respectful address made Yona almost jump. "Y-yes?"

"Would you like to accompany me for a while as I proceed with my work?" Kija smiled invitingly, stretching out one hand. "Since you seem impressed by the gardens, I would gladly give you explanations to some of our more exotic or exceptional plants."

The invitation surprised Yona. She felt the sphere of anxiousness within her disentangle as she looked at the hand offered to her. Her eyes became hot, but for the first time in the last two days, it were tears of gratitude threatening to overwhelm her. Sniffling as quietly as possible, she elongated her arm to take the offer, when Kija suddenly pulled his hand back.

Yona could only stare at the empty space, unable to move her hand, stupidly stretched out. The feeling of easiness began to crumble under her feet and she felt the urge to run away, when she heard Kija say, "Forgive me my manners."

Uncomprehending, she lifted her head, trying to hide the fear in her eyes. Kija was in the process of taking off his gloves, shooting her an apologetic smile. Folding them properly, he placed them on the bench, then turned back to her. "You do not have to come in touch with the dirt on my gloves, Yona-sama." Once more, he stretched his hand out, taking hers that was still hovering mid-air. Lifting her palm up towards his face, Kija bent forward and breathed the hint of a kiss on the back of her hand. "I am looking forward to guiding you around this magical place."

A sigh of relief broke from Yona's lips, mixed with quiet laughter. Her knees felt weak, and she could barely believe how nervous she was. But the warmth of the hand that held hers gave her strength, strength enough to smile back at the friendly face awaiting her reply. "Thank you, Kija."

With a bright smile, the silver-haired man let go of her hand to put on his gloves again. Picking up the spade, Kija looked around briefly, discerning a route for them to wander along. He nodded to himself. Pointing in the eastern direction, he said, "How about we start this way, Yona-sama... Yona-sama?"

The young woman behind him stood beside the bench, a pair of small gloves in her hands. Nervously, she looked back up and down, unsure what to say.

Kija stared, stunned. His eyes were glued to the dirty gloves within Yona's hands, and after some seconds, something inside him apparently _click_ ed. "Ah, Yona-sama, you do not have to carry my equipment! Please, do not dirty your hands. Besides, these gloves are too small for me, I just picked them up by chance and..."

He stopped his words when the red-head looked back up at him. "That's... not it." Her hands squeezed the sullied cloth. With a determined exhale, she fixated her eyes on Kija's and spoke, "I want to help you, Kija."

He merely blinked at her whilst she slid on the gloves, trying to figure out how to put them on correctly; they were quite bulky, and gritty on the outside, that it felt weird placing them over her fingers. She had the instant desire to throw the gloves off and drench her fingers in hot water and soap. Yet Yona wanted to fight the urge; she did not want to appear, in front of Kija, as a delicate flower (pun intended) that was distressed in most every situation; she wanted to show that she could also work, and dirty her hands, and that she would not mind it.

Her fear of losing this somewhat loose friendship struck her as so intense that, the moment Kija had pulled away his hands out of fear of marring hers, she decided that she did not ever want him to pull away from her again; she had to change. She understood that now; with Kija, it would be a start. He most likely did not know about the troubles Yona had previously faced; thus, he would not judge her like her other classmates. That thought seemed to console her somewhat.

"What can I do?" She asked, spade in hand, standing next to the white-haired student who still appeared to be dumbfounded.

When, finally, he had caught himself in his stupor, he smiled heartily at the girl, evidently pleased to see her so enthusiastic, "Well, we should loosen the earth around the plants first; so that they can grow better." He turned towards the first flower-bed, kneeling down quite elegantly as he dug the earth with his little spade, easing out the clumps that made it hard and appear cracked.

Yona seemed to be confused at first, but then soon knelt down next to the azure-eyed boy and did her best in aiding him, yet the crusted soil resisted her spade's blade and caused her hand to jolt backwards. This startled her, causing Kija to look her way, flustered, "A-Ah, Yona-sama, the earth might be a little hard to dig for you with a spade. Wait." He got to his feet with a swift turn, moving towards the bench and picking up what appeared to be a miniature hoe. Upon returning, he gently held it towards Yona, smiling sincerely her way, "This should make it easier."

Indeed, hacking with the hoe made working a lot easier. Yona discovered quite quickly that gardening was actually enjoyable, and she liked the companionship very much. Yet as she worked leisurely next to her senior, a question arose in her head, "Say, Kija...why does loosening the earth help flowers to grow?" She looked somewhat perplexed; maybe even embarrassed for having asked a question to which the answer would most likely be too simple to not know, but she was curious, and felt that Kija would not laugh upon such an inquiry.

"Well..." he was hesitant; it appeared he himself was not too sure of the answer, yet as he pondered some more, he responded quite merrily: "it allows water to seep through more easily, so that the roots get their needed hydration, and they can thus also spread through the earth because it is not too hard to penetrate."

She blinked several times at his response, gradually ingesting what he had said, "Okay..."

"You can ask me anytime you have a question, Yona-sama." There was a vigour in his voice that was somewhat overwhelming; his enthusiasm for the flora of this world was evidently beyond comprehensibility; he obviously loved to share his knowledge.

As she realised this, Yona questioned herself whether Kija had any _other_ friends, besides the people who belonged to the gardening committee; and even if he considered their members his friends, where _were_ they? Should they not be helping Kija here, chatting away to him with joy and in high spirits? Why would someone with such a soft nature be so lonely, here, in the botanic gardens, for Yona was assured to have never seen him outside on the lawn or academy's campus at all. Maybe he needed someone to talk to as much as Yona did then.

So maybe, they were doing each other a favour. This thought made her smile, upon which Kija stopped his work and merely stared at her. Once she realised this, and threw him an inquiring look, he shook his head, the hint of a blush present on his cheeks.

"S-Sorry, you looked very beautiful there, when you smiled." He said, rather flustered.

This, in return, caused Yona's cheeks to turn scarlet, "T-Thank you, Kija..." They continued their work, but Yona felt the need to speak up and voice some of her thoughts; "Say...do you usually work here alone, or are the other members of the committee also here with you sometimes?"

Kija froze as his spade was about to dig its way through the earth; his eyes were glittering brightly as he appeared to be staring at nothing in particular. With much hesitance, he murmured a reply, a fading smile on his lips, "Well...usually I'm here on my own; the other members are very busy with administration and planning and such..."

"Does no one help you...at least once in a while?" This truth seemed somewhat shocking to her ears; did they simply dust off all their responsibility onto Kija?

"Well, yes, we all work together, and it is our _united_ effort that allows this garden to bloom so beautifully. Not to forget, the president, Lee-sensei, who is very passionate about flowers and likes to work in the gardens too, on the weekends, when she does not have to teach."

"Yes...but...the gardening, the actual _work_ inside here...that's mainly _your_ effort, right?"

He did not seem to want to take the makeshift compliment; or rather, accept the reality that most other members of the gardening club were using his tender character for their own benefits. Yona did not have to know Kija for long to tell that he was a person that scarcely ever uttered the word 'no'.

He did not respond to her statement; indeed a statement, for it was the truth, and Yona could see it in his eyes that it would not be any other way. Silence ensued, with the red-head feeling slightly guilty for having caused a somewhat sombre atmosphere to reign between them; she should just have let the topic drop. But to her, it was a thought quite curious and bizarre; that someone had _no_ friends because they treated others unwell made sense, but someone who was only ever kind and understanding to still be left alone...

Instead of waiting for a reply, Yona continued with her work, hoping that Kija would not be mad; that he would forgive her indiscreetness. Barely had she made a new friend and _already_ was its bond being strained. She really was not good at building up relationships...

"Did you know that white lilies stand for mourning?" His delicate voice suddenly sounded through the quietude, a bitter edge to it, "Or rather, it is a blossom of death."

Yona was shocked about the unexpected change in subject, but listened to him nonetheless, answering with a meek "no, I didn't" as he awaited her reply.

"My grandmother loved them nonetheless. When my mother died at my birth, she said that she placed a few on her grave. They also symbolise innocence, and bring good fortune to passed-away souls. When I was six, and my father left us, I also placed lilies on his grave." Slowly, with the spade, he hacked at a few dense areas of dried soil near a bush of primroses, "My grandmother taught me a lot about flowers and plants; about their language, and how to take care of them. She loved them very much."

She did not say anything as he continued to speak; for she knew where the topic was leading to. It reminded her of a silent night, with too many tears flowing down her cheek as the doctor shook his head upon leaving her parents' bedroom. She remembered that night too well; she saw the lilies in a vase, standing near the windowsill, next to the paling corpse of her mother...

Yona shook her head; if she continued to reminisce about the past, it would only cause her to cry. So instead, she decided to raise the mood by cheering Kija up, "Don't worry, Kija, I'm sure your grandmother is very proud of what you are doing here; it is such beautiful work. So instead of mourning over her, you should honour her."

He turned his face towards her, grand pools of cerulean gazing questioningly at her countenance, "What do you mean?"

"Well...I can understand if you're sad about her passing away; but the people we love never truly leave us. If you want, we could plant some lilies in com-"

"A-Ah, no! I must have not elaborated; my grandmother is still alive." He waved an innocent hand, excusing himself with that gesture as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"But...you said her favourite flowers _were_ lilies-"

"Ah, yes, that's because she always changes what flowers she prefers. Momentarily, it's the daffodil...but I'm not sure why." He appeared to contemplate the reason, not realising Yona's stupefied facial expression.

Here she was, turning sentimental, when in all reality...

As he noticed her somewhat irked attitude, he began to stutter an excuse, "S-Sorry for the misunderstanding, it happens sometimes that I delve into the past without thinking...say, Yona-sama, do you want me to teach you the language of the flowers?"

She could have been angry at him; maybe even shouted and thrown a tantrum, but she knew that this was no longer the Yona she once was, "I'd very much appreciate it." Hence, with a soft smile, she agreed to his proposal.

* * *

As such, Yona continued to spend her breaks, and even some of her after-school time, with Kija at the gardens. The week that had started so uncomfortably progressed into one of chuckles and knowledge; as he had promised, Kija taught her the language of flowers and the principles of gardening. At first, Yona felt overwhelmed by the amount of information she was given, but Kija was a patient teacher. Over and over, he showed her how to work the utensils, told her about each plant's specific needs, and made sure she performed the work correctly. In the beginning, Kija had been reluctant to let her dirty her hands; every time Yona uprooted a weed or dug in the ground, he visibly twitched. But that hesitation soon turned into enthusiasm, and after but a couple of days, Kija allowed Yona to do more troublesome work. And when she did something wrong, he corrected her instantly, though with an ever present smile.

Despite her initial reluctance, Yona found she enjoyed herself very much. In class, she eagerly looked forward to break, and as soon as the bell rang, she snatched her bag and almost flew through the corridors she needed to pass before she was within the magical greenery. Not only was the gardening work rewarding, she also enjoyed Kija's presence; he was a calm, courteous and innocent person, full of smiles and friendliness. On top of that, Yona soon noticed he was smart and diligent as well; when they rested for their breaks, Kija pulled out his books and studied in high concentration.

"What are you reading?" Yona asked on one such occasion.

Startled, Kija looked up. Usually, they spent their break in silence. Not an uncomfortable one, mind you; it was a mutual silence, both enjoying the refreshing quiet between their work. A calm filled with content, only enriched by the sounds of Kija flipping the pages or Yona taking a sip from her drink. After looking back at his book, Kija replied "It's a book on physics."

Yona shot the item in question a critical glance. "Physics, huh?" A sigh escaped her pink lips. "I expect it doesn't get easier with the semesters, does it?"

Kija chuckled to himself, "Ah, well. Let's say it becomes... more complex." Noticing Yona's sour expression, he tried to come up with a more euphemistic term. "Maybe 'interesting' is a better word? Do you dislike physics, Yona-sama?"

"It's not so much that I dislike it..." Yona looked at the tip of her black shoes, rubbing them but lightly against each other. "It's just... a very dry topic, I think."

Kija was nodding his head, amiably as ever. "Yes, I suppose physics is not the most exciting subject. What do you like then, Yona-sama?"

The question surprised Yona. For a moment, she twirled her long, red locks between her fingers, contemplating on Kija's question. "Let's see... I like arts," she finally said. "And I also enjoy literature – though it depends on the reading."

"And what kind of books do you like, Yona-sama?"

This pause was not near as long as the previous one. "Fantasy literature – especially with dragons. I..." A slight blush appeared on Yona's cheeks. With a shy smile, she continued "I like the idea of fantastical beings existing, stronger than any human. Strong, yet beautiful. Independent. Respected. _Free_." Yona's face took on a dreamy expression. "It's a wonderful idea."

Kija's smile had deepened, and it irritated Yona. "What?" she asked with puffed cheeks, but Kija shook his head.

Directing his gaze back to his book, he quietly said, "Nothing, Yona-sama."

But Yona was not satisfied with that excuse. "Kija! You were just laughing at me, weren't you?" She had jumped from the bench, one finger accusingly pointing at the man.

Kija was quick to wave with his hands. "Of course not, Yona-sama! I would never laugh at you."

"Then why were you grinning?"

"I was not grinning, I -" Kija fumbled for words, surprised by Yona's sudden flaming. The nervousness brought a pretty blush upon his cheeks. "I merely thought you were cute."

"Aha, so you did! - wait, what?" Yona had started a tirade, but stopped herself in time when her brain fully processed the information. "You think I am... cute?"

Only now did Kija seem to realize what he had said. Blushing even more madly, he stuttered, "Ah, no, I did not mean it like that! I mean, of course you are cute – beautiful even! - but that does not mean that I think... I mean, it's just that..."

Yona felt herself blushing, but at the same time, a chuckle broke through her lips. At first, she managed to suppress it, but the more Kija stuttered, with endless repetitions of the word 'mean', the stronger it got, until she laughed whole-heartedly.

Kija, in the midst of explaining what he _had meant_ , stopped, looking up in confusion. "Y-Yona-sama?"

The red-head chuckled to herself. Wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, she pouted, "Now, Kija, how dare you say things like that."

"I – I am sorry, Yona-sama, I did not mean to..."

"Kija," Yona broke in with another laughter. She had to hold her stomach. "It's alright. It's just... _You_ are cute."

"Wha-" Kija flustered, his red face now in stark contrast to his silvery hair. He looked back on the book in his hands, trying to hide the embarrassment that crept up his neck. "Y-Yona-sama, what are you saying."

Yona smiled to herself. Slowly, she approached the young man, whose hairline was visibly crimson. Placing a finger on his book – held upside down – Yona pushed gently until she could view the cerulean orbs blinking rapidly at her. She laughed, "Really, you _are_ cute, Kija."

The white-haired youth looked at her for a moment, his ears bright like a stop sign. Determined, he raised the book before his face. "Stop teasing me, Yona-sama!"

* * *

Yona drummed with her fingers on the study desk. Her mind was barely following the lecture on German – why did she even have to bother learning another language? - and her eyes drew invisible figures on the window.

 _Kija will not be at the garden today,_ she mused to herself. It was surprising how much that unnerved her; of course, Kija deserved his private time (and if she recalled correctly, he was absent due to a project for biology), but this also meant that Yona had to face a whole day of breaks without him. In just one week, she had gotten so used to his presence that she had almost forgotten her uneasiness from before. But now that the silver-haired young man was gone, she realized once again how friendless she was.

Yona furrowed her brows. _I could see if I find Y... Ya... Gosh, why can't I remember his name?_ Her delicate hand formed an outraged fist and her throat made an angry sound. Startled, Yona looked around, but no one seemed to have noticed; no one seemed to care, anyway. With a relieved sigh, Yona went back to contemplating her break.

 _I should rather not seek someone whose name I forgot. Judging his character, he will just snap at me._ A sour smile twisted her lips; while she had failed to remember his name, the boy's _face_ was still clearly in front of her mind's eye. Maybe he hadn't been so wrong about the 'handsome' part.

"Yona-san," her teacher's sudden voice ripped her out of her thoughts. Yona made a jump on her seat, heart beating heavily in her chest. She flipped her head forward so fast, the red locks continued to bounce even after she held still. But her teacher did not seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Tapping on the textbook in his hand, he ordered, "Read the next line."

"Y-yes!" Yona stood, the so far untouched textbook in her nervous hands. _Shoot – where are we?_

The silence threatened to spread, but her teacher was merciful. "Johanna's third appearance."

Quickly, Yona's eyes scanned the page. _There!_ "I-Ich bitte Sie, mein Herr! Wie können Sie nur solch eine..." - Yona squinted her eyes at the next word - "... U-Unverfrorenheit von mir denken?"

"Thank you, Yona-san."

Relieved, Yona sat back down, trying to ignore the heat that had risen to her head. _What did I just read?_ She had no idea; German seemed to be a mystery to her, but luckily, she had managed to spout out most words without hesitation.

But she had also made a disheartening discovery. When she had obviously struggled to find the right line again, none of her classmates had helped her.

Something bitter rose up her throat; prickling her skin as it settled in her cheeks. She remembered how Lili usually whispered to her, or mimicked the right answer, smiling afterwards contently, seeing as, once more, Yona was saved from scrutiny.

It stung; the missing of a friendship, but Yona wanted to be and stay optimistic. She had a _new_ friend; and a new perspective on things. She would not be lonely this day; on the contrary, Yona would succeed in finding new friends, and managing _without_ the help of a certain dark-haired someone.

She was ready for everything the day had prepared for her.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** So here it is, our (hopefully) long awaited update! What, no Hak? Poor you; but don't worry, he _will_ come and blow us all away with his awesome Hak-tastic-ness. Until then, enjoy our sweet and innocent Kija, being all adorkable. Slowly, Yona develops from overly-conceited to just medium-conceited, and she is facing yet another day of unknown adventures and meet-ups. Stay tuned for the next chapter and don't forget to leave a word or two for our motivation! Until the next bite~


	3. Chapter 3

**Inconveniences**

She dared, with a hesitant foot, to step back onto the lawns and fields that made out the main area of Kouka Academy. Yona would not be scared anymore; may she run into Lili as fate would want to have it, she was ready to act like an adult, indifferent to the girl's existence, and still keep her dignity. What was so hard about it? The red-head would manage, she knew.

rolling along the outer walls of the school's building, Yona observed from the shadows how small friendship groups gathered, sitting on benches, the well-trimmed grass or in miniature 'parks' that had been arranged all around the main campus. She knew no one; that was something Yona had to finally admit and accept, but it hurt less than a while back.

Marching onwards, her shoulders straight and head held high, she acted as if she were a woman on a mission; with a clear goal in mind, so that people would not stare questioningly, or worse, spread rumours. The Hiryuu inheritor would not be surprised if such gossip still existed; now that she was often in the botanic garden, in new company, and sometimes with dirt stains on her clothing that were too difficult to hide and even harder to wash out. The maids at her manor had already been complaining these past days.

She tried to find someone to talk to; any person that might appear lonely, or friendly enough to accept a stranger's questions. Yet currently, she found no one to be around. With a shrug, Yona stepped through the archways, going along a path that would lead her to the yards outstretching towards the south; a place she always liked to see, for it somehow consoled her. Treading along her way, the sun filtered through the gaps and shone down warmly onto her face; Yona felt a little more motivated, for the heat of the translucent rays was making her body appear more lively. She was just about to outstretch her arms in order to enjoy the full strength of the burning star high above, when a voice too familiar to not be recognized filtered into her ears.

"T-Thank you." A stutter so sweet, most often accompanied by a blush that could make her heart melt any second resounded along the archways.

Inadvertently, Yona had wandered along a stone path to a little courtyard situated at the centre of the four archways that permeated throughout the Academy's premises. There was a tall willow planted in the centre, with benches circling its perimeter; the sun managed to penetrate this area only during specific hours of the day. Otherwise, it was a shady, calm kind of place, with fresh breezes and a serene atmosphere.

Yona now remembered how she and Lili had often come here, when they wanted to relax, most frequently during summer. Despite being centrally situated, scarcely any student at Kouka Academy liked to spend their free time here; it was merely a place of passing.

And at said passage, which was one of Yona's sacred spaces, Lili stood, as if she had been expecting Yona there in order for them to sit together and have a chat. But Lili was not alone; the beautiful voice Yona had heard was none other than Soo-Won's. How come each time she decided to stroll across the campus, she ran into these two and their... _bonding_ moments?

Yona felt sick to the marrow, observing how Lili was handing her beloved Soo-Won a small tray filled with chocolates, evidently hand-made, for Lili had a talent with sweets. The red-head and she sometimes enjoyed baking at one of their manor's. It never ended well for Yona, who liked to burn her goodies, but the An inheritor never ceased to amaze with exquisite pralines.

Soo-Won was flustered, taking the treat with great gratitude, stuttering with his words. What _did_ he find so fascinating about her? Yona saw nothing that would – wait, why was he leaning towards her? What was it they were about to do?

Yona did not know what impulse shook her body, yet before her eyes could see what, deep in her mind, she knew was bound to happen, her legs twitched, forcing her to spin on her heel and chase down the archway and back the path which had led her here in first place. She was gone faster than she had quite realised, racing straight across the lawn without much thought; she knew not where she went, what she tried to achieve, but the distance helped her forget the terrible ache that curled around her heart like an anaconda.

Yona felt her hamstrings throb, knew her feet would soon wobble and she would be panting in exasperation, trying to get air, thus decided to decrease her pace, but before she knew what exactly was happening, the girl tripped. Her body surged forwards; only her reflexes allowed her to outstretch her arms in order to catch herself. The force thrust her body back a little, and out of fear, Yona decided to shut her eyes tightly, her face flushed for various reasons.

Just as she was catching her breath, having calmed down from the momentary shock of falling, the red-head gradually opened her oculars, expecting to see stalks of long green grass poking towards her orbs. Yet she was not granted such a sight.

Instead, her hanging head saw white; coupled with stitchings and marble buttons. When she thought about it, her fingers did not even feel the rough juiciness grass usually had to offer; instead, she felt velvety texture rubbing against her palm. And when Yona decided to raise her head, face still brimming with redness, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, she glanced into the handsome face of a man.

Or was it a boy? The contour of his jaw was edgy and sharp, smoothing out towards a visage that could be mistaken for Adonis'. Eyes the colour of a storm-shrouded ocean, raging with a mix of grey and indigo and turquoise somewhere in between, gazed back rather nonchalantly, with a strong and dark eyebrow raised ever so slightly in inquiry. His fringe spiked into long streaks the colour of burnished wood; or was it ebony? Maybe onyx? Yona could simply not tell, yet had to realise, upon closer inspection, that the entirety of his hair lanced around his head quite rebelliously, only semi-covering his left eye. His lips were pulled into one line of indifference, hands clasped behind his head whilst he had his legs bent. The boy – or man, but more likely a boy due to the Kouka uniform he wore, despite untidily, had evidently been resting on the lawn, enjoying the fading sun, when Yona had tripped over his legs and landed right above him.

It caused her blush to deepen; turning scarlet and making her heart pound within her ears. She tried to speak, but the mere sight of him simply mesmerized her. He was...perfection. Had she ever seen such a handsome man? Well, he could not match what Soo-Won had, so she believed, and it was not that she felt attracted... Simply surprised.

"Enjoying the view?" His meticulous eyebrow was raised slightly higher than before, his voice dripping with sarcasm; a dark, bone-rattling tone, but in all the good ways, for it had a feature similar to liquid velvet running down one's skin.

Yona opened her mouth, ready to babble an excuse, but not a single word left her lips. She must have looked like an idiot, her mouth half-open, her red hair definitely messy from the fall, her entire face madly flushed. Once again, she gulped, trying to say at least something, but incoherent nonsense was all that left her.

Now, the stranger raised both of his eyebrows. "Clumsy _and_ dopey. My, you're bad off, huh?" Yona gasped upon the insult – it _was_ an insult, right? For some reason, she could not think straight – but the young man went on without giving her a chance to respond, "Well, once you're done gawking, get lost." He took his eyes off of her towards the bright blue sky. "You're blocking _my_ view."

Belatedly, Yona pushed herself up, almost painfully aware of the imprints her hands had left on his smooth jacket. She _knew_ it had been unlike her to showcase any form of reflexes – she had to screw up _somewhere_ along the line. "I- I- I am sorry," she finally managed to spout out, but the man – boy, young man, whatever – already seemed to have blocked her out. Still, Yona indicated a bow towards him before she turned on her heel and hurried away, her red head a bright signal for everyone around her.

Her feet carried her forward, but this time, Yona made sure to guide herself, so she would not end up facing Lili and Soo-Won and _whatever_ they were doing. She felt her heart still racing in her chest; was it the sight of that unspeakable _thing_? The fall? She did not know. Yona shook her head, trying to clear it as she walked a slower pace.

"Hey, you!" a voice called out behind her. Yona froze, still very much aware of the confused look on her face. She peered over her shoulder almost timidly, just in time for a flush of strawberry blonde hair to hurry past her. "Hey, Ik Soo!" The boy continued to run until a middle aged man turned back upon hearing his name. "Finally," the young one sighed, only to let out a glare of bright blue eyes right afterwards. "Don't go running off on your own without taking the papers with you!" Fittingly, he carried a stack of files which he now shoved into the man's hands.

Ik Soo accepted them after a moment of confusion. His face was almost completely covered in blonde hair, but his smile was visible nonetheless. "Thank you, Yun."

Yun. Of _course_ it was Yun. Not Yan or Yeun or whatever she had conjured up the past few days. Yona felt herself staring dumbfoundedly at the two people conversing in front of her, trying to erase any sign of her obvious forgetting from her face. _If he notices I forgot his name, who knows what he will throw at my head_ this _time_ , she thought nervously.

As if on cue, Yun turned with a wave of his hand towards Ik Soo, stopping in his tracks when he saw Yona. His face was as bland as one could be. "Oh. It's you."

 _What kind of greeting is that!?_ It took all Yona had not to snap at him. But she had just made it out of the frying pan – _and_ the fire – so she would not suffer another disappointment or indignity. Working up a smile that could not possibly appear awkward, she said, "Hello, Yun. How are you?"

Yun stared at her. He was silent for some seconds that seemed like minutes. Finally, he cocked an eyebrow at her. "You had forgotten my name up 'til now, haven't you?"

"H-how!?" Yona sputtered out before she could stop herself. She pressed her hands on her mouth, but Yun had evidently heard her. "Wh-whatever," Yona quickly said before he could reprimand her, "that's not a proper way to return a lady's greeting! You keep saying you dislike spoiled people, but you're no better."

Her opposite had his mouth half open, obviously in the process of giving her a piece of his mind. But something made him stop, and instead he let out a sigh. "Aside from me having to carry that guy's stuff after him all the time, I'm good." He gave her a critical glance. "And you?"

"I'm..." Yona was surprised. Despite what she had said, she had not _really_ expected him to greet her, let alone ask for her well-being. Furthermore, it was a question she had not heard in a while; not in the tone he was asking, anyway. For some reason, it saddened her.

As the silence stretched, Yun sighed once more. "If you've got nothing to do, you could lend me a hand; I'm on my way to the teachers' room to pick up some files. I would have taken them along earlier, but thanks to _someone_ " - he threw a vicious look over his shoulder - "my hands were already full."

He walked past her, and Yona did not know whether his invitation was meant seriously or not. Was he mocking her? It was obvious he did not like her – and considering how their 'relationship' started, it was not too surprising – so why would he offer her to spend time with him?

"You coming or not? Yona?" Yun had turned back to her, speaking her name after an obvious pause. The look on his face made Yona jump over her own shadow, and she hurried after him. After all, helping Yun would be a lot better than being on her own. And as she walked beside him, she almost felt content. He did not put up a show to conceal his feelings, but neither did he avoid her like she was the walking plague. It was better than how most people treated her, these past days.

But mere acceptance would not be enough for Yona. Shooting a glance at him through her red locks, she asked, "That man earlier – Ik Soo – is your father, right?"

"I'm surprised you remembered _that_." His eyes spoke his doubt louder than his words; and his words had already carried a _lot_ of doubt.

Yona pursed her lips. "I'm not stupid. He's one of the history teachers, right?" As Yun simply nodded, she almost felt discouraged again. He could at least somewhat _react_ to her trying to strike a conversation. But Yona was far from losing hope. With a smile, she went on, "It must be nice, seeing your father so frequently."

To that, Yun just shrugged. "I guess. But that man's troublesome as far as it goes. Sometimes, I wonder how he'd do without me." He heaved one of his many sighs and brushed through his soft hair. "This is not the first time I carry his files after him, I tell you."

"But you don't dislike it."

Yun halted, looking at Yona with surprise in his eyes. "What?"

In truth, Yona had spoken without a thought, and now that Yun stared at her like that, she felt almost uncomfortable. "Well," she started hesitantly. "You may say it's a bother, but if you truly disliked it, you would not take care of him like that. I'm sure you're happy your father needs you, and that there is something you can do for him."

For a while, quiet was the only thing between them. Yona felt the gentle breeze sweeping around her, moving her red hair in soft waves, as they stood before the entrance to the east block. Yun's eyes were big and round, rounder than normally, and his mouth was slightly agape. Suddenly, a smile formed on his lips, and the boy even chuckled to himself. Giving her a raised eyebrow along with his curled lips, he said, "Look at that. You're sharper than you look. You're right, I'm happy I can do these things for him. I like being useful." He picked up his feet again. "And if I fail to grab those files, I'll be anything but that. So let's hurry."

Not having expected his sudden movement, Yona had to chase after him for a moment. But as they walked side by side, she felt a lot more comfortable than before, and while she helped Yun carrying the papers from one block to the next, their conversation was light and friendly. After a while, Yona felt herself smiling without forcing it. They were not really friends, no, of course not – but she was a big step closer to that now than just a day ago.

* * *

She told Kija about the events once he returned. They were having their small break, lunching underneath a hazelnut tree with Yona chatting along in between bites of her food. Kija listened with patience and a soft, serene smile, sometimes nodding, or making utterances that indicated she had his attention completely to herself.

"At the beginning, I did not really like him, because Yun can be quite mean with his confrontational way." She was proud, if she may claim so, to _not_ have forgotten the kid's name, "But he is actually nice under that hard nutshell of his."

Kija blinked several times, before he grinned and chuckled, "Nice pun, Yona-sama."

Upon this, Yona seemed dumbfounded; just then, a lonely hazelnut tumbled down from its twig, bouncing upon the grass underneath before it rolled to a rest in between emerald-coloured stalks. She giggled as she realised her own joke, despite unintentionally having come to be, and a slight blush crept across her cheeks.

"It's nice to hear you laugh, Yona-sama," Kija put on one of his warmest smiles; the ones Yona treasured the most, for he himself seemed truly happy then, "I missed it!"

"And I'm glad you are back! Carrying books and papers around is kind of tiring..." Fumbling inside her messenger bag, the red-head protruded a small, neat apple, taking a glorious bite off of it before she chewed with vigour.

"Ah, I know what you mean. I used to help Yun out too, from time to time." The white-haired boy leaned back onto his palms, enjoying the astray rays of sunlight that poked their way through the obtruding leaves.

This startled the young girl, "Oh, so you two are friends?"

"Well...not directly. I do not know him _that_ well, but – you see, I often saw him being diligent around here, and kind of feel guilty knowing he does his best to help out his father. He does not appear to have many friends, so I like to go and help him out from time to time." Suddenly, Kija leant forwards, nearing in on Yona's left ear, "I have quite a strong right arm, so carrying books is easier for me than for him."

Once he leant back, there was a tender smile newly plastered across his lips.

"You are really kind, Kija..."

"It's nothing." He waved a dismissive hand, but Yona vehemently shook her head.

"No, really. You are very kind." She did her best to suppress the tears that had decided to prick her eyes and betray her sentiments. Yona was through with appearing weak in front of others.

"Ah, well, if you say so, Yona-sama...then...thank you."

* * *

They had talked for too many minutes; time flew by, and before Yona knew it, she was being late for her history class. Kija had accompanied her to the right building before he excused himself quite politely, ultimately having to rush himself. The young Hiryuu felt guilty for having stolen too much of his time, yet she could not waste another second thinking about it as she tried her best to leg it up the stairs and chase along the corridor.

She knew the designated room was a turn to the right and straight on, fourth door to the left. However, just as she made said turn very smoothly, the doors passing by her view in a blur, feeling like she might just get away with a simple admonition, Yona collided into a rigid chest that had come so rapidly towards her, she would have never managed to stop herself in time no matter how hard she could have tried. Her hands were pressed against abs, eyes squeezed shut tightly as she tried to gather her balance before wanting to excuse herself and dash off.

Just as she peeked upwards, having the words readily formulated and about to leave the tip of her tongue, her breath stayed quite adamantly within her lungs.

"U-Uhm..." she uttered, blinking with a blush.

"It's you." It was the boy from a while back; the one who had lazily been laying upon the grass as Yona had come stumbling over his unmoving body.

She observed the perfection of his countenance form a frown directed icily towards her; every single artery within her system stopped working for the fraction of a second. A shiver galloped down her spine, which made her shake ever so slightly before she was capable of catching herself, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Yeah, I know," his silken voice interrupted, displeasure evident on his face, "that's what they all say. What do you want?"

His words irritated her; what did he mean? Confused, Yona quirked both brows, tilting her face ever so slightly towards the right, "I'm not sure...what you mean."

Consequent to her words, her opposite leant down, his face coming to hover on the same level as hers. She was staring into a swirling concoction of annoyance within his eyes, impatience twitching upon his eyebrows and a smooth indifference indicated by the flat line that made out his lips. Somehow, the sight intimidated her, yet on the other hand, she felt annoyed herself.

What was he thinking?

"Girls always play this stupid game on me," she felt his hot breath tickle the sides of her neck, making goosebumps arise upon her skin. She prayed he would not notice them, "but I'm kind of tired of this shit. I'm not interested in dating."

A pregnant pause filled the air between them; Yona's violet oculars stared, trying to comprehend what the man in front of her had just claimed. Did he believe her to be... _crushing_ on him? Oh dear...she felt an instant heat arise within her cheeks, consuming her face and turning her delicate alabaster skin into a flaming inferno.

"W-Wait – _what_!?" Yona did not know why, but she was pouting, scowling back at the still-very-close-and-nonchalant fellow of hers, "T-That's not it! This is a coincidence." She declared with vehemence.

But her opposite simply quirked a critical eyebrow at her; he liked to express himself through them, she realised, and he did it very well, for every transformation of his facial expression had her gasping a little for air; was it fear, or awe, or a mind-breaking mix of both? Her frown, however, stayed.

"It's true! I'm not interested in you; I like someone _else_." Yona had squeezed her eyes shut as she had spouted out those words, nearly shouting as her face was now directed quite embarrassingly towards the floor.

The onyx-haired boy (she could not decide what he was – adult-y, or rather teenager-like) – for his hair, now, suddenly, appeared all darkness and sin – righted himself, still seeming critical, gazing down the fine bridge of his nose towards the flustered girl, "Is that so..." his voice was dripping with disbelief, "And who would that other person be?"

"That-" She was about to glare at him and tell him that it was none of his business, yet a voice interrupted their conversation with a suddenness that had Yona's heart chasing too many miles a second already.

"Hak-kun."

He gazed straight behind Yona; the other person was approaching leisurely. And the vermilion-haired girl knew exactly who it was.

"Soo-Won." His voice was dry; emotionless. Could this guy feel at all? His face was a perfect mask, too. None of the annoyance or disbelief he had punished Yona with were visible anymore, and his eyes seemed like a frozen lake. It made her shiver.

But the man behind her did not sense the coldness. "Wow, it really _is_ you, Hak-kun." Soo-Won walked past Yona, arms stretched out. His slender fingers enclosed the other's broad shoulders, clad in the compulsory forest-green jacket, and gave them a jouncing shake. "I heard you transferred here, but could not believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. How are you?"

Hak – for that seemed to be his name – had his bright blue orbs dart down to the hands encompassing his shoulders. There was a flicker in them, like lightning jolting through the surface of ice, but as they lifted to meet Soo-Won's cerulean oculars, none of that flash was left. Instead, Hak lifted the left corner of his lips by only a little, a change that made his expression so much more handsome, and patted his opposite's shoulders rather violently. "I'm fine. And you?"

Still oblivious to the chilly tone his dark voice was carrying, Soo-Won gave a bright nod. "I have never been better. Especially now that I found you." Hak only raised one of his telling eyebrows, causing Soo-Won to go on, "You see, Lee-sensei wanted to hold a soccer match later this day, but we're one man short." He beamed his smile Yona fawned over so dearly. "Would you help us out?"

Yona stared from one man to the other. A part of her wanted to run – she still remembered the last time she ran into Soo-Won and Lili all too well – but another part of her could not break free no matter how much she wanted to. Watching the two, it was as if she was blinded by a bright, dazzling light. They were complete opposites, type-wise, and it almost felt as if they complemented one another. Whereas Soo-Won's face shone like the sun, Hak's was like the moon. The more Soo-Won's lips curled into a smile, the less Hak seemed to do to keep his expression amiable. It was both fascinating and utterly confusing.

After an uncomfortably long silence, Hak shrugged nonchalantly. "Just this once, though," he added. "I told Geun-Tae several times already that I'm not interested in joining his group of ball-fanatic broomsticks, who are all about as smart as they are broad. No offense." The tone of his voice, however, strongly indicated that it was _meant_ to be offensive.

But Soo-Won laughed it off, albeit slightly nervously. "None taken, Hak-kun. Then I'll wait for you by the sports ground." He raised his hand by means of farewell and turned, only to halt when he saw Yona. As if he had just noticed her presence. "Oh. Hi, Yona."

Why did his voice sound so awkward? Yona planted a smile on her delicate face, an expression meant to hide the anger and irritation she had felt over him the past times. "Hello, Soo-Won. How have you been?"

"As I just told Hak-kun, I've been doing fairly well, thank you." Why did he look back at Hak with that weird expression? Not that the dark-haired handsome man seemed to pay him – or her – any mind. Turning back to her with a faint smile, he asked, "And you, Yona?"

"Oh, I have been more than well, thank you." She had added more stress to the words than normally; she saw it in the way Soo-Won raised his brows in surprise. Quickly, she added, "I am taking care of the gardens, now. It is really rewarding work. I enjoy it very much."

Oh dear, was she _blabbering_? Blood rushed up to her cheeks, but Soo-Won's smile seemed genuine as he nodded, "I see. I am glad to hear it."

He made a motion as if he wanted to walk past her, but Yona would not allow it. Before his eyes were completely turned from her, she blurted, still red in the face, "We really need to spend more time together, Soo-Won. It has been weeks since you have been at my house. My father asks for you occasionally, as well."

Soo-Won stopped in his tracks. For a moment, the perimeter of his blue eyes were wavering over her, then he smiled ever so lightly. "Sure, Yona. If you will excuse me." With a nod of his head, he turned away before Yona could stop him with her words again.

Despite him not looking back, Yona waved after him. "Until then, Soo-Won." She barely noticed how longing took over her violet oculars, or the sigh that escaped her slightly parted lips.

Someone else, however, did. It was his poorly suppressed laugh that snapped Yona back into reality. She whirled around, and as expected, Hak was smirking at her, his brows quirked lightly upwards near his nose bridge. "Oh, so _that's_ how it is." His storm-shrouded eyes were lighting up in amusement, almost sparkling as he leaned forward, one elbow casually pressed against the wall, hindering her from walking straight past him. With a jerk of his head, he stage-whispered, " _He's_ that proclaimed _someone else_."

Yona's face felt like a volcano as even more blood rushed up. "W-what? N-no, why would you say that? Besides, even if it _were_ true, it's none of your business, so why-"

"Save your lies for someone else," he interrupted her uncourtly. It was hard to read his expression, caught somewhere between play and distaste. His eyes lifted up, following the disappearing figure of Soo-Won for some seconds before wandering back to her, attentive and somewhat judging. Finally, he clicked his tongue. "Tsk. You should not aim so high."

The words hit her, more than she would have thought. Yona's eyes widened as all she could do was stare up at him. Had he truly just said that?

Her expression seemed to amuse him; Hak leaned back and gave her one critical glance up and down. "No, really. I mean, look at you." He clicked his tongue once more, his eyes beaming mischievously. "I know Soo-Won, most likely better than you do, and he's _way_ out of your league. You should go play with the boys within yours. Save him, yourself and everyone else the shame."

This was not fair. Yona felt her eyes starting to burn, and she blinked rapidly before tears could become visible. It was not worth it. _He_ was not worth it. How did that aloof, complete stranger dare to think he possessed the right to berate her? Something within her hardened, and without realizing how a fire built behind the vibrant purple of her orbs, she glowered at him, "Who do you think you are?" Unknowingly, she made a step forward. "Do you think yourself cool, putting other people down like that? By which right, on which grounds? You do not even _know_ me – do you have even the slightest idea of _whom_ you're talking to?"

He blinked at her in surprise, but Yona went on without giving him a chance to respond, "Of course you don't." Just as he did before, she gave him a cool look up and down, for once able to almost dismiss his stunning exterior. Her voice as quick and hard as a whip, she snapped, "I don't care who you are, but just for your information: I am _well_ within his league, and I will aim as high as I please."

"Alright, alright" he raised one hand, almost defensively, "I got it, princess."

Yona was about to spit another comment when suddenly, the door to their left banged open, and a very angry looking Yun stuck his head into the corridor. In a moment of silence, he shot his glare from one side to the other. "If you two are done flirting," he hissed every word - "hurry up and come in. Or get lost, I don't care which. I'm trying to _teach_ here." Without awaiting their replies, he went back in, mumbling something alarmingly close to 'rich, spoiled brats'.

Yona's cheeks burned. The air between her and that guy was still tense, and she had a lot left on her tongue for him to hear. But she knew it was not the time; and furthermore, why should she even bother? After shooting Hak an unfriendly look, she squeezed past him and hurried to her seat, trying to evade Yun's accusing eyes.

Much more relaxed, strutting even, Hak came after her. He gave off an air of nonchalance, but as his eyes wandered over Yona's ablaze face, the tiniest of smirks appeared in the corners of his lips.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Okay, this took way longer than expected. We're writing more or less frequently, but life and exams are getting in our way - sorry 'bout that. Anywho - Hak! The Hak! We waited for this and we hope you did, too; if you enjoyed it, leave us a word or two. From now on, there will be more Hak for you - and us - to enjoy. Until the next bite~


	4. Chapter 4

**Gentle Eyes**

" _Unbelievable!"_ she cried with so much frustration, stomping up and down the small stone path that snaked its way in between colourful flower-beds.

Kija blinked once, then twice, his face one of confusion as he tried to decipher what was disturbing his younger companion so much. She was blushing madly ever since they had met up the next day during lunch break; but it was not one of her deeply touched, innocent kind of reddenings. It was one made out of anger and embarrassment.

"Y-Yona-sama..." he followed her with his eyes, but Yona was unresponsive, mumbling to herself how _ignorant_ and _horrible_ some _Hak_ was; how it disturbed her that she could not forget his name as easily as she had forgotten Yun's, whose company was _so much more_ welcome than that of the 'nameless' stranger, "Yona...sama..."

His words were being drained out by her mutters; too much animosity tainted her usually serene facial expression. He had never witnessed the red-head so wrought up before. Should he maybe intercept her pathway in order to catch her attention, or leave her to boil within her own displeasure until she had cooled down sufficiently to respond halfway normally? Kija felt quite conflicted.

"He does not _know_ me!" Yona now exclaimed with a wail, "How _dare_ he underestimate me like that, and insult my name? What have I ever done to him!?"

Her eyes flew about wildly, as if she could find an answer to her rather rhetorical questions within the buds of fresh daisies. She felt ridiculous; maybe she even _was_ , getting all pumped up like that, but it felt relieving to let all her frustration vent out.

"Yona-sama" Kija attempted anew, this time successful, for she gazed at him in surprise, as if she had only just recognized his presence there, under the same hazelnut tree they had lunched under before so many times, "I feel you have something to get off your chest?"

His smile made her cool down by several degrees. Kija was being endearing and caring as always, patient with her, despite her rather terrible mood that she should let out at anyone _but_ dear, precious Kija. Yona suddenly felt horrible; he had seen her all riled up, it made her feel more embarrassed than she had felt yesterday, during her encounter with Soo-Won and _that guy_.

Alone thinking about the creasing of his eyebrows got her teeth to grind against each other; she had to stop. For Kija's sake and for her own, she had to simply push him out of her mind. Kouka Academy was huge; chances were that she would not notice him so quickly, that he would sink within the masses, ignoring her existence as much as she would ignore his, and live blissfully in mutual indifference for the rest of their equivalent lives.

Another nut tumbled down the tree's bark, bouncing on Yona's head and landing quite reflexively within the palm of her right hand; she had gotten so used to the dropping of seeds that catching them came near to naturally. It surprised even _her._ She stood and smiled at Kija, feeling her tenseness loosen, when the white-haired boy's expression suddenly changed to one of surprise.

Yona reflected his visage, trying to figure out what irked him so much, and as she glanced at her palm, believing that her catching this nut, which before had always caught her off-guard very quickly, was the cause for his change of expression, she was to see that this was not the case.

On her shoulder – and she could not tell the exact moment this had occurred, for she had felt nothing – a small, chestnut-coloured squirrel stood, claws slightly dug into the soft fabric of her blazer, nose twitching towards the object that still rested within her hand. The being seemed to be highly interested in it, carefully manoeuvring its way along her slightly outstretched arm, rasping against the shell of the hazelnut before it picked it up, sniffing it up closely.

Once it was done with inspecting, the being turned its grand, dark eyes towards Yona, blinking a few times, cheeks puffed ever so cutely, "P'kyuu!" it squeaked, twisting its minuscule head from left to right before, with a mad dash, it chased down her clothes, hopped onto the grass and skipped its way through the botanic garden, the nut in tow.

"What was that...?" Kija questioned, appearing absolutely flabbergasted.

Yona felt like laughing. It had been the most innocent and adorable scene all day; something you would see happening in a Facebook post of sorts, or in an _anime_.

"It must have been hungry." Yona tried to suppress her giggle, even though she did not understand why; laughing was the best remedy of all, so why not let it flow? But somehow, she felt like she had to hold herself together.

"I don't usually see squirrels here in the gardens..." Kija exclaimed with a quirked eyebrow, seemingly deep in thought as his eyes gazed into open space.

"Hmmm...let's see where it went," the red-haired Hiryuu suddenly decided, walking along the pathway that the rodent had taken.

"Yona-sama, it's a squirrel, finding such a being is not that-" Kija outstretched his right arm towards her, but she squealed with delight before he could complete his sentence.

"Kija, look!"

He came rushing towards her; she had only taken a turn, entering another part of the garden that had been sealed off merely by a perfectly trimmed hedge. There, on the other side, squeaking on a bench, was the small squirrel, patting its stomach merrily as it lay on a pile of cracked nutshells. Next to it, a precisely peeled nut lay; presumably the one it had grasped from Yona, resting against the clothed thigh of a boy.

Yona did not know why, but she recognized him immediately; despite not recalling his name, and never having talked to him, the boy with the short, sky-blue hair and the tainted glasses was not unknown to her. He was intelligent, she knew that much, and preferred to keep to himself; for he was sitting in isolation with merely a history book and a squirrel for companionship.

She talked before she was capable of biting onto her lips, "Hello."

The squirrel jumped to its rodent feet, _p'kyuu_ ing at her delightfully as the boy slowly raised his head to glance at her. Yona could barely see his oculars behind the obscurity of his shades, but his lips were a neat line of impassibility. At least, so she believed to be true.

"Who is it, Yona-sama?" Kija inquired, stepping next to the scarlet-haired youngster, looking her way and soon discovering the boy she was staring at so intently.

Something had just glistened behind his glasses...something mesmerizing; she felt fascinated. He was still looking at her, unmoving, when she uttered the first thought that entered her mind, "Your eyes..." Yona blinked with a blush, "they're beautiful."

As if spoken as a warning, or even a threat, the azure-haired student sprang to his feet, the history book clapped shut tightly beforehand, having the squirrel jolting up his arm – had they practised this before? - and before neither Yona nor her companion could utter a single syllable, he made a mad dash through the garden, disappearing behind some bushes and a tree.

She blinked once, blinked twice, with Kija just as much, if not even more confused than her. Yet Yona caught herself quite abruptly, shaking her head as to get out of her stupor. Her curiosity won over; and the fact that she did not want to think of other, more negative thoughts. He seemed intriguing; and was bound to be friendlier than what the first impression gave away. Hence, she took her legs into her hands and chased after him, a weak "w-wait!" leaving her lips in the hope of somehow attracting his attention through it.

Kija could not warn her fast enough; had been, up until now, incapable of teaching her about the vastness of the botanic garden, and that she was heading a pathway he had seldom taken himself (thus, so he explained to himself, the reason he must have never really encountered the young man) and that she was bound to quickly get lost. This area was a territory Lee-sensei would be more accustomed to, or the professional gardeners that, every now and then, decided to take a closer look at the most sensitive parts of the garden.

Yet gone she was, her feet fast as she stepped along stone and grass and skipped over patches of blooming colours, making sure to always have a small part of the boy within the peripherals of her eyes. She did not want to miss out on him; but he was eager to place as much distance between them as physically possible. He appeared panic-stricken, and she knew that there was no need for his fear; she wanted to pacify him.

"Wait!" Yona called with a voice much louder and clearer than before; the bushes were getting denser, the trees so much larger. She knew not where she was, would be helpless in her quest to find her way back, or generally out of the gardens, but it bothered her little as long as she had the slightest chance of catching her classmate.

Suddenly, Yona stumbled, her eyes momentarily facing the ground, which consequently caused her to lose sight of her target; as she righted herself, the intriguing boy with the shades was gone. She cursed underneath her breath, swirling around in a circle, trying to orientate herself, but had to defeatedly admit that she was utterly lost. Well, where had she come from? That tree! - oh, no, it looked very much the same as all the others, and the birds here within sounded as abstract as ever; not to be identified. No peculiar flowers to distinguish her way, nor any bushes – mind you, Yona had barely paid any attention to her surrounding, anyway, so focused had she been on the boy.

However, her situation began to frustrate her, for Kija seemed far away, out of ear-shot at least, for each time she called his name with vibrancy, her only response was the increased chatter of the birds. Maybe they were mocking her, for getting lost, and this was their way of telling her, but Yona could not let despair overtake her.

She went one way, trembling along stone and observing a few pansies to her right. _'Purple pansies',_ she thought, using it as a sort of anchor in case she started walking in circles, and continued on her pathway, but only to discover more pansies.

There were pansies everywhere, every colour, and soon there were new, abstract, diverse flowers, some even quite large, and the air thickened here and there, with trees growing taller and taller by the minute.

"Where am I?" she muttered, once more spinning in a circle, gazing upwards but only receiving the faintest rays of sunlight.

She tried for another path but it helped her not at all; everything looked the same, nothing indicated an exit, or appeared familiar enough to direct her back to the parts of the gardens that she was well acquainted with. It seemed quite hopeless; even walking in simply one direction frustrated her early enough, for on one hand, it seemed to never end, and on the other, Kija had explained to her that, at one of its edges, the botanic garden bordered near a valley, with a small cliff at one side, falling quite abruptly down into scrub and rock. It would be counterproductive were she to unknowingly walk in just that direction.

Yona sighed heavily. Her eyes began to itch; tears welled up at the bottom, threatening to fall and completely blur her vision, rendering her immobile and making her admit that she would not find her way back to safety, nor to the mysterious boy, and that it had been reckless and silly of her to simply wander off on her own, in a direction she had never gone towards before, without one single thought given.

Yona trudged backwards, trying aggravatingly to orientate herself, to take in deep breaths and convince herself that she _could,_ and _would,_ find her way back, but once more she had to stumble, this time with a pant leaving her lips, for it had taken her very much off guard. She fell backwards, her bum about to painfully land on small pebbles and grit, when a strong arm caught her, pulling Yona's fragile body back up.

She could not quite tell what had made her gasp so much; the sudden, unforeseen fall, or the fact that something stopped her; or rather, someone, for the blue-haired boy was standing by her side.

In that very moment, Yona was granted an intimate insight; the light from the sun, that filtered through the trees quite strenuously, made his glasses glow, and allowed her to see what was behind; the beautiful orbs she had merely glimpsed earlier. Amber and ochre, somewhat like a gem, with pupils as black as darkness, and a gloss about them that made them most vivid and unique. She was mesmerized; could not look away no matter how hard she willed herself to do so; out of politeness, of course. Had she ever seen such beautiful oculars? Such artistry? No, it _really_ was a phenomena yet to be documented, and it did not want to settle with her that he decided to hide them daily from sight; why obscure such beauty? Would anyone _tease_ him for them? And if, why, if not out of pathetic jealousy? She just could not fathom the possible reason.

"You are beautiful," she whispered as he held her, gradually pulling her back onto her feet, for which she was more than thankful and expressed such through a very genuine smile.

It must have caught him off-guard; both the compliment and her smile, for he blushed very quickly, cheeks becoming crimson, as the small squirrel from earlier stood expectantly on his shoulder.

"Thank you very much." She tried, once more, to see his eyes, for the light was fading and he was gazing towards the ground, once more hiding them behind tainted glasses. It made her heart clench a little.

He was, truthfully, very beautiful, with his close-cropped hair, shining like the sky, his somewhat tender nature that she felt vibrating through the air. If a squirrel was his friend, then he truthfully had to be a nice guy, right? She barely, if ever, had seen rodents in the botanic garden.

"No reason to hide; I'm only trying to be your friend." It was the truth; for friends she desired, and he seemed to be just as lonely as she was, if him hiding away all the time was any indication. The garden, being so quiet and a place to easily get lost in, was a perfect hiding spot, after all. Yet not wanting him to feel any more uncomfortable, she decided to refrain from staring at him too intently.

He shook his head, avoiding her stare, probably wanting to leave but knowing that she would be lost still. Thus, the mute boy took her hand very softly, tugging it in an indication that she was to follow, and trudged with her along the gardens without a single moment of hesitation or doubt. He obviously knew this place quite well; maybe even better than Kija did; Yona followed obediently, for whom was she to decline his companionship?

"Are you here often...?" the red-head whispered, scared that if she raised her voice, he would shy away.

As his head nodded in confirmation, it was as if ripples went through a sunny day's sky. Yona found herself staring after all, and immediately had to correct herself that it was not day, but rather the night he resembled, with his quietness and beauty. His extraordinary pale, almost white complexion, only added to that impression.

"What is your name?" By now, a smile was present on her lips, for she felt much more upbeat than before, now that she had not only found him, but also a way out of this rather confusing _labyrinth_.

She hoped her inquiry would not scare him away; that she had not been too direct. It was not direct, asking simply for a name, but he seemed a special case, did he not? She knew that, with him, she had to be extraordinarily careful, for he was so very different, so very special, and needed attention of a particular kind. Scared that she had gone too far, Yona shied back a little, her steps becoming slower.

"Shin-Ah."

His sudden response surprised her nonetheless; her heart jolted dangerously; not only because, indeed, he had _responded_ , but because the soothing calmness of his voice had something so comforting, she felt like crying out of joy. She wanted to tell him how she felt right then and there; show him that he was good companionship, but knew that it would merely overwhelm him.

"Shin-Ah..." she whispered, tasting the name on her tongue, smiling as she felt it just perfect, "And...your little friend?" she pointed towards the rodent despite him not seeing, for she was walking behind him, after all, but he seemed to fully understand what she wanted.

"Ao..."

"Ao," Yona reiterated, then hesitated for a few seconds, letting the sounds of the forest overtake their conversation. Only when she truthfully could not contain herself anymore, did Yona laugh quite heartily, with further tears rolling lazily down her cheeks, "What an unsuitable name for him!"

He appeared to blush, suddenly stopping in his tracks. Yona feared she had finally gone too far, that this made him feel most unhappy and unwanted, but instead, he uttered a "I know" with a somewhat amused tone of voice, ultimately continuing their march through the garden. After several seconds of further quietude, he added, "She's a girl."

"Huh?" Yona had not expected him to say anything else.

"The squirrel...Ao. She is a female." His voice, deep and consoling, gurgled like a rivulet through her ears, making her smile even more, her cheeks nearly burning from the action.

"Oh, then the name is even more unsuitable than I thought!" She giggled, her free hand holding her lips as her other remained within the warmth of his hands.

Only then did she decide to closely inspect the intertwining of their fingers; his strong, rather pretty limb, holding her ever so protectively, felt comforting, relieving, as if she had to fear nothing on earth anymore. A storm might come, a monster jump out of the bushes, she would be safe as long as Shin-Ah was by her side, his radiating presence being one of deeply hidden love; for she knew he had a lot of love to give, the family kind of love every being desired, but had yet to find the right people to share it with.

Yona hoped, no, was sure that he would make a great addition to her small friendship group of herself and Kija, and that their company would be a blessing to him as much as it would be to her, for already now she felt so attached to him that the prospect of him leaving her afterwards, and not speaking to her ever again (or rather, interacting, for he was not really the talkative type) saddened her immensely.

"Say, Shin-Ah, do you have any friends? Besides Ao, that is." Was she really being this bold?

He halted once more, not even abruptly, but slowly, and turned to look at her through dyed glasses, before he lackadaisically shook his head.

"Well..." she felt too shy to speak the following words, and had to bring up all the courage she could muster "why don't you hang around with Kija and me more often? You and Ao would be more than welcome to sit by us – and don't worry! You don't have to speak, if that's what you fear." She blushed, "It's just...you seem like a wonderfully kind person, and I want to get to know you better." The red-head averted her eyes at this.

He stared; for an extended amount of time, that is, and it took Yona quite a while to realise that he had gone scarlet, probably in a good kind of way, before ever so reluctantly (but more out of shyness than anything else) nodding at her offer.

His response made Yona smile all the more, which secretly caused him to blush even harder, for she was more than elated to have made yet another friend.

"I'm glad I met you today, Shin-Ah."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Hey guys! Finally a new update, even though it is a bit short - we are not dead, just super busy with our private lives, which involves a lot of work and little free time. We are very sorry! RuskaSky and I finally have some free time these next weeks and thus want to focus on this story more, for we have more than just 4 chapters written already, but they are all still in a raw state and need quite some revision before we can present them to you all, so please bear with us!

Thank you for all the continued support - we are more than amazed at how popular this fanfiction has become, it makes us very happy. And do not fret; we will not give up on our fanfiction, we will keep working on it, even if it takes some time - expect some updates in the next weeks.

Please also do tell us how you feel about this chapter and its developments! We love hearing from you all!

Until the next bite~

 _NagareboshiStar_ from FantasyMuffins


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